The 2021 Survey

I’ve completed this survey every December since 2001. You can find past years’ posts in the Year End tag!

1. What did you do in 2021 that you’d never done before? HAD A BABY; had major abdominal surgery; took extended leave from work; experienced intense, prolonged sleep deprivation; went on antidepressants; did not even try to exercise for months; worked from home the entire year; joined a mommy and me group; tried grocery delivery (highly recommend!).

2. What was your word for the year? My One Word for 2021 was Release. I thought about it a lot. I have had to consciously release a lot of things – expectations, hopes, plans, people’s opinions, each individual part of my body when I lay down at night.

3. What new places did you visit? My exciting new place in this sophomore year of the pandemic was Greers Ferry, Arkansas! We also did a family weekend at Pickwick right before my birthday, and Taylor and I went to Gulf Shores after our first vaccine for a babymoon of sorts.

4. What dates from 2021 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? January 6 – obvious. March 11 and April 1 – got vaccinated! June 4 – got induced. Not a fun time. June 5 – my son was born!!! July 20 – a really low point with the baby, after which everything got better. September 23 – became a Working Mom.

5. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 42. It was a Monday. I was on maternity leave. I went to my Stroller Strides class with C3 in the morning, saw my parents when they brought Newk’s for lunch, then had an uneventful day until Taylor and I went to dinner at CIMAS. I had scallops and the best white wine I’ve ever tasted (sadly I don’t remember what it was).

6. How will you spend Christmas? At home with both sets of our parents, my grandma from Florida, and Taylor’s aunt.

7. Did anyone close to you have a child in 2021? Other than myself: my good friend Kara; our wedding photographer (who’s now a friend); and several longtime friends. All of us had boys!

8. Did anyone close to you die? Thankfully, no. My grandfather was seriously ill in January but pulled through. However, shoutout to Beverly Cleary, one of my lifelong idols, who died in March at age 104. What a life.

9. What 2021 achievements are you most proud of? Boy you know you love it how we smart enough to make these millions / Strong enough to bear the children, then get back to business – Beyoncé

10. What do you wish you had done better? I wish I hadn’t spent most of C3’s life so far in survival mode. I try to be present and appreciate each stage, but realizing how much he’s already growing, I wish I had enjoyed his newborn days more and not been so hard on myself. (In six months I’ll probably say the same thing about now.)

11. What was the biggest challenge you faced? I am fully aware that mine are First World Challenges. That said, lack of privacy was my most consistent challenge this year. Taylor and I both work from home full-time. We had contractors in our house for almost three months while I was pregnant, and since C3 was born, we’ve had family here every weekday and sometimes on weekends too. Again, that’s been special and I’m thankful for the help, but it makes existing in your house a different experience. I also realize this is weird when my other big challenge was the isolated feelings of living in a pandemic. What a cocktail of issues.

12. Did you suffer illness or injury? While I was spared illness per se, I felt bad and/or exhausted for the majority of 2021. I’m just now starting to feel more like myself, more comfortable in my body, with less pain at 6 months postpartum.

13. What was your best purchase? This toaster oven/air fryer I gave Taylor for his birthday.

14. Where did most of your money go? Medical bills, home renovations, and furniture.

15. What were your best new discoveries? Farmacy Honeymoon Glow; Emily Mariko; Lexapro

16. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Sleeping.

17. What song will always remind you of 2021? See The 2021 Soundtrack

18. What concerts did you attend this year? None. Hopefully the only time I’ll ever say that.

19. What was your greatest musical discovery? Um… the Laurie Berkner Band? (One of my favorite moments of the day is singing “goodnight, baby rhino, goodnight” to C3 at bedtime.) I was also enthralled by the rise of The Linda Lindas.

20. What were your favorite TV programs? This Is Us (always) and Ted Lasso. Other 2021 favorites: For All Mankind, WandaVision, Loki, Glow Up, Years and Years, LuLaRich, and The Americans. I learned more from that show about the Cold War than I ever learned in school.

21. What were your favorite films? The only film I remember loving this year was In the Heights. But I’m VERY excited about Matrix Resurrections coming up.

22. What was the best gift you received? All the food everyone brought after C3 was born. Everything was delicious, but I’ll always remember the time I asked for a salad from Central BBQ and the person also brought some barbecue nachos. I did not know how much I needed those nachos, but they were so good I almost cried.

23. What did you want and get? A beautiful, healthy, loving baby. Vaccinated. A remodeled bathroom. A visit to the beach before the baby was born. Time with friends and family. A little 2019-era life and normalcy.

24. What did you want and not get? A more humane, holistic birth experience. Success with breastfeeding. For the pandemic to be over over.

25. How would you describe your personal style in 2021? Leggings (usually Girlfriend Collective) or Lucky Ava Fit jeans, loose tops collected at Goodwill, and every day, these sneakers. I hardly know how to wear other shoes anymore.

26. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I can’t think of anyone I was really into outside the realm of social media or podcasting.

27. Who was the best new person you met? The only people I met this year were the other moms at Stroller Strides, and they were all very nice!

28. What were the best conversations you had? With my sister.

29. What political issue stirred you the most? The fact that a large chunk of our population is living in a completely different reality from the rest of us. *gestures at everything*

30. How have your beliefs changed this year? I think I’ve mostly leaned further in to my existing beliefs.

31. What would you like to have in 2022 that you lacked this year? More friends. More time out in the world.

32. What behaviors do you want to change in 2022? I want to overcome the constant urge to apologize for everything, including my mere existence and things that aren’t remotely my fault. I also want to get back to exercising consistently (even if that doesn’t look like it used to).

33. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet, good – Taylor Swift